Redshirts

A Novel with Three Codas

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the facts that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces; (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations; and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

©2012 John Scalzi (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Funny ramp up then converts to drama

I was pleased with this book. The first half is very funny. The second half is more dramatic than humorous. Even then, the drama isn't great.
I'd recommend the book. Found Will's narration was difficult to follow at times as he did not adjust his voice when a multiple character conversation was taking place.

A great story with fantastic narration

The story is so good. I loved the approach of seeing the side of the extras in the show. I really became invested in the characters quickly. The body switch was a bit hard to follow, but I can let it slide. And I found it funny that the final sections were so different but as enjoyable if not more so than the rest of the book. Regarding the narration, Wil is one of the best narrators I know. I go out of my way to listen to the books he does.

Great Concept

This book was on my wish list for quite a while. I was fascinated by the concept, but am not a Wil Wheaton fan at all based on his Star Trek persona. But I finished the "Old Man's War" series and I needed a new fix of Scalzi, so decided to buy "Redshirts". And am glad I did.

The concept of the story plays off the original Star Trek episodes where semi-anonymous Ensigns, wearing red shirts, were killed off while on away missions. I won't go into details so I don't ruin the surprises, but Scalzi does a great job translating this idea to an universe where this is a fact of life for a group of junior officers on a space vessel. I did wonder if he would be able to sustain the premise for an entire book and am happy to report that he could.

I also noticed that the author included three codas to the end of the books. At first, I feared they would be "alternate endings" but turned out to be enhancements to the main story.

And as much as I didn't like Wil Wheaton as Ensign Crusher (the character should have been given a red shirt and sent on a away mission early in the series), I have to admit he did a great job. Based on this performance, I went on to also purchase "Fuzzy Nation" by the same performer/author.

think i would prefer it as a book over audio book

i had difficulty to follow some times with which character was speaking at certain points.

what a great fun story

I love that the narrator is Wesley Crusher (not Will Weaton....) I almost wrecked my car I was laughing so hard.

Get past the "he said/she saids" and it's GREAT!

Any additional comments?

This is the second John Scalzi book I have listened to, and both times I have almost stopped listening because every piece of dialogue ends with "he said" or "she said". EVERY TIME. I suppose that's fine when you are reading it and can ignore it,but when listening it takes a lot of getting used to.

That being said, I am glad that I did not quit listening. This is a fantastic book about the red-shirted crew members on a flimisily masked Star-Trek-like space ship. Very funny. Very thought provoking.The last two hours or so took me to places I did not expect. I will definitely be listening to more Scalzi.

A very entertaining read

Other than the fact that the author says '*insert character* said' way too often (I mean seriously, there are other ways to indicate a specific person is speaking...) this novel is an amusing read. Anyone who enjoys sci-fi shows, particularly Star Trek, should like it. Wil Wheaton does an excellent job with the narration, conveying the humor and emotion of the scenes.

Perfect geeky science fiction

I really enjoyed this story. It was actually two were three years ago that I read this, but it is one of the few books I can still remember pretty clearly. So far I have loved everything written by John Scalzi, and Wil Wheaton is definitely one of the best narrators out there!

Fun Ride

I love Will Wheaton as narrator! His love of Scalzi's books just adds nuance and impact to these very well written books.
This book opened another avenue into the multiverse and gave me pause. Well done!!!

Not Scalzi's best work, but a fun listen

What did you like best about Redshirts? What did you like least?

Okay, let me start by saying that this was a fun book - the story was engaging and humorous. The writing could probably use some help though - there are long stretches where it's "'blah blah blah', This Character Name said" followed by "'yadda yadda yadda.' That Character Name said," followed by "'blah blah blah,' This Character Name said." Very choppy and a lot of "Name said" lines. It got noticeable. The codas at the end, where the author ties up loose ends that the genre he's satirizing would have just let hang, are probably the best writing of the book. Touching, even. Unlike "Agent to the Stars" Wil Wheaton's voice doesn't work well with this book - his vocal characterizations aren't defined enough that you can generally tell what character he is voicing just from his voice.

Would you recommend Redshirts to your friends? Why or why not?

Sure - despite the "said" stuff mentioned above - which might indeed have been deliberate - it's a fun story, with a lot of clever in-jokes for the science fiction/space opera community.

What three words best describe Wil Wheaton’s voice?

Monotone, flat, uninflected

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably. It's the sort of subject matter I like, and it has a sort of reverse-GalaxyQuest feel to it.